From my
first meeting with Greg Pape, it was obvious to me that this man does not get
into a hurry. He is one of those rare humans who listens intentionally, not
just waiting for his turn to talk. Greg has been an official mentor to me as
part of my work in Spalding University’s Master of Fine Art program. As a
teacher and as an artist, Greg is an active listener and the poems in his new
book, Four Swans, give attention to the
details that often get lost when we push ahead, out of synch with the earth’s
rhythms. This latest collection is, in part, a meditation on the messages Greg
interprets for us, as he moves through time at a poet’s pace.
The
four-part book moves through each of the seasons, beginning in winter, and
ending in fall. The details and
correlations of each season are subtly woven in with observations small things
with great significance. The microcosm reflects the macrocosm here, where
mountains can “float” in the eyes of a child and God is both “great” and
“small.”
The tone
of reverence for great and small is set with the title poem, “Four Swans.” The
speaker is observing swans in January. Once he establishes the image, he goes
to the trouble of naming them:
January. Four white tundra swans
stand at the edge of the ice.
Grace. Peace. Dignity. X. (5-7).
To name
something is a way to show recognition, love, and maybe even guardianship. The importance
of the loving attention inherent in the act of naming resonates throughout the
book. Greg uses specific names for places, people and things that star in his
poems: His mother, Irene; his poetic ancestor, Su Tung-p’o; his departed
rooster, Big Red; and the river, the Bitterroot. They are all named along with
the swans out of reverence for their importance.
The
remainder of the poem, “Four Swans,” moves between observation of the swans and
memory or reflection on serious “real-life” circumstances: The hospitalization
of a mother, the tragic consequences of reckless behavior. In many ways the
movement of this poem mirrors the movement of the book. The poems often begin
in observation of the natural world, and the speaker points to how the human
world intersects with nature or how the struggles of nature parallel human
suffering. Often this intersection reveals something about how humans grapple
with reconciling the cycles of modern life with the cycles of this planet.
These
poems seem to be the product of Greg’s “listening” to the silent: animals, the
rivers, valleys, rocks and water. In
“Rain on the River he interprets a message from the river:
forming pockets, temporary cover,
holding water for trout. Water says
everything’s temporary, everything’s
moving,
trees, gravel bars, the new house
where the roofer kneels, nailing
shingles,
in light rain. Look, water says,
right now, before and after –
raindrops falling into clouds on the
sunlit river.
Greg
listens as if channeling these voices confirms that all matter surrounding us
is significant and holds a clue to the meaning of our existence if we are able put
our finger on the pulse of what is around us.
By the section
II of Four Swans, Greg establishes
the Bitterroot River of Montana as a key image, emblematic of the natural world.
In the poem “The Spell of the Bitterroot,”
human management of the river muddies the scene:
in many places. Portages abound,
and no-trespassing signs hang from
strands
of barb-wire strung across braids.
This is not right.
But does the river care? It just
wants
to meander, take its own sweet time,
trust in gravity and the tidal pull
of eventual dissolution
in the great peace-making sea.
(6-14)
It is
interesting that although the speaker is offended, he focuses on the wants of
the river. Like the water in “Rain on the River,” Greg gives voice and certain
wisdom to the force of the river; this helps the audience to see rivers in a
fresh light. The poem ends emphasizing that perspective:
channels, braids, a continuous flow
of wild water. Just as we do,
our river wants to stretch out
and move freely in its own bed. (41-44)
By
acknowledging the intention of the river, Greg allows us understand how our own
intentions can be in tune with nature, if we stop to notice the similarities.
The
similarities are sometimes small and overlooked by moving through time too
quickly. Just as the river will make and “take its own sweet time,” we too must
move slower to receive the messages that delight and enlighten us.
As I
read this collection, I found myself holding back, not reading too many poems in
one sitting. I wanted to savor these poems; I didn’t want to rush through them.
This is the effect of poetry that enlightens its reader by minding particular
details that enrich the experience of being alive.
To be
present in the days’ miracles, Greg finds that it is essential to operate
within the natural tempo of our earth; Greg listens to the earth’s messages,
and he shows us what we are missing if we forge ahead too quickly.
ISBN
978-088924-127-2
How to
order: From the publisher:
Angela
Elles is a resident of Madison, Indiana. A mom, wife, teacher, and student,
Angela teaches at Ivy Tech Community College and is pursuing an MFA in Poetry
at Spalding University.
